Polymer, process for producing the polymer, and curable composition containing the polymer

Abstract

A vinyl polymer having, at a molecular chain terminus, a structure represented by the general formula 1: (wherein R 3 is a hydroxy, amino, epoxy, carboxylic acid, ester, ether, amide or silyl group, an alkenyl group having low polymerizability, an organic compound having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, X is a halogen atom, a nitroxide or sulfide group or a cobalt porphyrin complex).

1. A vinyl polymer having, at a molecular chain terminus, a structure represented by the general formula 1: 
                 
 wherein R 3  is a hydroxy, amino, epoxy, carboxylic acid ester, ether, amide or silyl group, a group represented by the general formula 2: 
                 
 
 in which R 4  represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, or a polymerizable olefin-free organic group containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms,  
 R 1  is a divalent hydrocarbon group containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms or a group having a structure represented by the general formula 3: 
                 
 
 in which R 5  is an oxygen atom, a nitrogen atom or an organic group containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms, R 6  is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group and each may be the same or different, and when R 3  is a group represented by the general formula 2, R 1  is —(CH 2 ) n —, —CH(CH 3 )—, —CH(CH 2 CH 3 )—, —C(CH 3 ) 2 —, —C(CH 3 )(CH 2 CH 3 )—, —C(CH 2 CH 3 ) 2 — or —CH 2 CH(CH 3 )—, wherein n is an integer of 1 to 20.  
 and R 2  is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group and X is a halogen atom, a nitroxide or sulfide group or a cobalt porphyrin complex.  
 
     
     
       2. The polymer according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the general formula 1, R 3  is a group selected from among hydroxy, amino, epoxy, carboxylic acid, ester, ether, amide and silyl groups. 
     
     
       3. The polymer according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the general formula 1, R 3  is represented by the general formula 2. 
     
     
       4. The polymer according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the general formula 1, X is a halogen atom. 
     
     
       5. The polymer according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the general formula 1, R 2  is a hydrogen atom. 
     
     
       6. The polymer according to  claim 1 , wherein the vinyl polymer is a (meth)acrylic polymer. 
     
     
       7. The polymer according to  claim 1 , wherein the vinyl polymer is an acrylic ester polymer. 
     
     
       8. The polymer according to  claim 1 , wherein the vinyl polymer is a butyl acrylate polymer. 
     
     
       9. The polymer according to  claim 1 , which has two or more terminal groups represented by the general formula 1 in each molecule. 
     
     
       10. The polymer according to  claim 1 , which has a number average molecular weight of 500 to 100,000. 
     
     
       11. The polymer according to  claim 1 , which has a weight average molecular weight (Mw)-to-number average molecular weight (Mn) ratio (Mw/Mn) of less than 1.8 as determined by gel permeation chromatography.